UKIP in chaos

The UK Independence Party, most recognisable for its anti-immigration and anti-EU stances, seems to be imploding as 12 people had resigned from top positions in the party by the time of publication, apparently in protest at their leader, Henry Bolton, who has refused to resign following a racism scandal.

Following a story by The Mail on Sunday, who reported on alleged texts sent by Bolton’s girlfriend Jo Marney, Bolton has been under extreme pressure from within the party to stand down.

Henry Bolton, elected as leader on September 29th last year, left his wife after embarking on an affair with a 25 year old topless model and party activist Jo Marney, it was revealed. The move raised eyebrows inside and outside of the party, with many feeling that Bolton was already attracting more attention for the lurid details of his personal affairs rather than his politics.

Just days after the revelations that Bolton had left his wife, The Mail revealed text messages that Marney had allegedly sent to a friend about the fiancé of Prince Harry, Megan Markle. In the article it is alleged that Marney said to a friend that Prince Harry’s ‘black American’ fiancée will ‘taint’ the Royal Family with ‘her seed’ and pave the way for a ‘black king’.

Ms Marney also says that she would never have sex with ‘a negro’ because they are ‘ugly’. In a bafflingly idiotic continuation of the exchange, Marney also said that ‘This is Britain, not Africa’ seemingly impressed with her extremely basic grasp of geography.

She went on, after being accused by the friend, quite reasonably, of being a racist, saying ‘lol so what’. She also accused the mixed race Markle of being ‘obsessed with race’ in hilariously ironic fashion.

Given that UKIP have been somewhat of a laughing stock ever since the resignation of Nigel Farage following the Brexit referendum result, Bolton seemed keen on continuing the trend of clownish behaviour by asserting that he had ended the ‘romantic part’ of their relationship, seemingly thinking that being friends with a racist was fine but being in a relationship with one is not.

In response to Bolton’s personal life being splashed all over the national press the party’s ruling body, the NEC, voted unanimously to pass a vote of no confidence in him. The seemingly overwhelming tide of disgust at Bolton clinging on for dear life didn’t end there as almost every single member of UKIP’s top team resigned in protest.

Bolton has since released a statement insisting that he will not step down, instead deciding to turn his fire, quite hilariously, on the party’s ruling committee. He said “I advised the NEC during our meeting not to expose the Party to […] the political cost of possibly yet another leadership contest.”

This, seemingly, not taking into account the political cost of a party that received 4 million votes just under 3 years ago having its leader publicly leave his immigrant wife for a racist topless model.

The circus of UKIP, it seems, will continue on.